The Missing Ingredient in Self Care | Portia Jackson-Preston | TEDxCrenshaw

Key self-care and wellness strategies highlighted

Redefine self-care beyond “luxury”

Move from treating self-care as rewards (e.g., massages/pedicures/retreats) to treating it as necessary care that helps manage stress and support well-being.

Use a structured self-care framework (6 categories)

Apply a widely used self-care assessment across six areas:

• Physical self-care

  • Walk or dance ≥ 30 minutes, 5 days/week
  • Keep up with routine medical and dental care

• Psychological self-care

  • Daily journaling to reflect, understand needs, set realistic expectations, and process stress

• Emotional self-care

  • Practice daily self-compassion

• Spiritual self-care

  • Regular connection with faith/hope
  • Be part of a faith community
  • Spend time in nature

• Relational self-care

  • Schedule downtime with husband, family, and friends

• Professional self-care

  • Seek work that feels invigorating
  • Set boundaries
  • Build support systems through peers and mentors

Shift identity from “performance” to “wholeness”

Recognize that success narratives (“work hard, play hard, burn the midnight oil”) can reward neglect of self-care. Reframe recovery and well-being as depending on breaking that cycle, not just pushing harder.

Plan for evolution and setbacks

Expect self-care to adapt over time as new health or life challenges arise (e.g., anxiety/insomnia; unexpected medical events).

Prioritize supportive relationships and professional help

Leverage resources such as:

• Peer mentoring (e.g., National Kidney Foundation)
• Therapists
• Doctors/trainers for stress reduction, nutrition/fitness changes, and effective medication

Productivity / action steps (explicit calls to action)

Build a personal self-care action plan

Identify daily, weekly, or monthly practices that are:

• Accessible
• Affordable
• Attractive to you

Take action on multiple levels—don’t self-care alone

Use a social-ecological model to expand self-care from individual habit to shared support and resources. Action levels emphasized:

• Individual: know health markers (e.g., blood pressure); maintain activity; eat sustainable healthy diets
• Interpersonal: share stories; hold space; seek/give support and accountability; build healthy norms
• Organizational: build cultures of self-care; leaders model help-seeking; avoid rewarding overwork; encourage vacations/recovery
• Community: create safe places to exercise; improve affordability/access to healthy food
• Policy: advocate for systemic changes (e.g., reduce stressors driven by racism and income inequality; improve access to healthcare)

Advocate for change where you are

• Share your story and write to legislators at local/state/national levels.
• Use workplace/political leverage to make self-care practical and available to others.

Presenters / sources

• Presenter: Portia Jackson-Preston
• Source referenced: National Kidney Foundation (peer mentor support)
• Framework referenced: Social ecological model / multi-level model for self-care (as described in the talk)
• Self-care assessment referenced: A widely adopted self-care assessment across six categories (specific name not provided in subtitles)